From dormitory to Manhattan: why New York City buildings don't have a 13th floor

Thirteenth floor. Where did he go? Why is this figure ignored in the US? You will find answers to such questions in this publication.

Quite by accident, while going up in the elevator, I noticed that the number 13 is missing on the panel indicating the floors. This is what the elevator dial looks like in one of the old high-rises in Manhattan. Try searching here 13.

I tried to understand the situation. I found articles on the Internet that say that in America the number "13" is missing a lot. Firstly, it is absent in more than 80% of buildings (it turns out that somewhere they are still not afraid of a damn dozen?). Moreover, in skyscrapers there are also no floors that would end at 13: 113, 213 ...

Also, there is no 13th row on planes, in hospitals you will not find a 13th room.

They also try to ignore the damn dozen in Europe. I read that in French restaurants, if the number of visitors to one group is 12 + 1 (God forbid, if you say 13!), Then you will definitely add a 14th chair with a dummy and you will have to endure its silent presence throughout your delicious relaxing with friends.

It turns out that there is even a phobia called triskaidekaphobia (or terdekaphobia) - a painful fear of the number 13.

It is clear that such fear is associated with religious prejudice and superstition. In the United States, 85% of the population consider themselves believers. Basically, these are Christians - about 78,5%. Moreover, the overwhelming majority of them, for historical reasons, are Protestants - there are more than 51% of US residents. Slightly less than 2% of Jews, approximately 0,6 - 0,7% of Muslims and Buddhists.

I went into another building, already in a residential area of ​​New York. This is how it looks. Quite a modern skyscraper.

And I discovered that even in such a new house, the number 13 is missing on the elevator panel.

Yes, according to statistics in the United States, the majority are religious people. And I am very surprised that I mostly meet atheists. I met many of them in Russian-speaking Brooklyn and even Queens. People, without fear, asserted that they did not believe in anything. And, of course, the number 13 should not frighten such people, since superstitions are inherent mainly to religious ones.

On the subject: 55 facts about New York that will turn your idea about him

But even among non-Russian speakers I meet many atheists. A Jewish woman, a third-generation American, said that she could not believe in God, since if he existed, she would not have allowed the massacre of Jews by the Nazis during the Second World War, including absolutely innocent children. A middle-aged Hindu man who arrived in the United States at a young age immediately after leaving school, a doctor by profession, also admitted that he considers religions to be evil, since they divide peoples. Knowing that Hindus are vegetarians, I cautiously asked if he was eating meat. He replied that, of course, he loves meat, such as ham. "What about beef?" I asked, knowing that in India the cow is a sacred animal. “Of course I eat beef! - he answered in surprise. "I clearly said that I was against any religions." And I have met many such atheists. When I asked about the 13th floor, an elderly woman, a second-generation American, naturally also an atheist, said that she considered avoiding the "usual number" a stupid prejudice. “Ignoring the 13th floor, they think they are cunningly circumventing this figure. But she hasn't gone anywhere! They are just trying to close their eyes to what really exists! " - the woman was indignant. It turns out that not all Americans support the “legalized” absence 13.

But not everything is as neglected as it might seem. Having got on the train of the New York subway, I noticed that in this type of transport, the damn dozen are not afraid. Common sense prevailed here.